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LG's 'wearable robot' will transform the proletariat into unstoppable machines

LG's SuitBot is designed to make work easier. Forget robot overlords -- this robot goes over pants.

Claire Reilly Former Principal Video Producer
Claire Reilly was a video host, journalist and producer covering all things space, futurism, science and culture. Whether she's covering breaking news, explaining complex science topics or exploring the weirder sides of tech culture, Claire gets to the heart of why technology matters to everyone. She's been a regular commentator on broadcast news, and in her spare time, she's a cabaret enthusiast, Simpsons aficionado and closet country music lover. She originally hails from Sydney but now calls San Francisco home.
Expertise Space, Futurism, Science and Sci-Tech, Robotics, Tech Culture Credentials
  • Webby Award Winner (Best Video Host, 2021), Webby Nominee (Podcasts, 2021), Gold Telly (Documentary Series, 2021), Silver Telly (Video Writing, 2021), W3 Award (Best Host, 2020), Australian IT Journalism Awards (Best Journalist, Best News Journalist 2017)
Claire Reilly
2 min read
lg-cloi-suitbot

The LG CLOi SuitBot is designed for workers who spend long hours doing heavy lifting.

LG

LG's vision for the workplace of the future involves a whole bunch of workers dressed up in robot pants. 

The Korean tech giant will unveil the latest addition to its CLOi robotics range at IFA in Berlin this month, showing off what it's calling its first ever "human-centric wearable robot."

The CLOi SuitBot is a robotic exoskeleton designed to "support and enhance a user's legs", giving people like factory workers and people doing heavy lifting or operating heavy tools greater strength and mobility.

Watch this: Take the strain off your legs with this exoskeleton

It's not the first exoskeleton we've seen that purports to give humans superhuman strength. Hyundai and Japanese company Cyberdyne have both shown off medical exoskeletons designed to assist people with low mobility, while Ford is also working on a design that reduces strain for workers doing over-head tasks.

For its part, LG says the CLOi SuitBot (which was built in partnership with Korean company SG Robotics) was designed with a "comfortable fit and naturally rotating joints" so it's easy to move around in whether you're walking, standing or working for long periods. The SuitBot also has built-in "sandal-type" shoes, which LG says automatically adjust so the wearer can get in and out of the wearable robot more easily.

lg-cloi-suitbot-standing

The SuitBot is designed to be worn over clothes like a "wearable robot."

LG

The wearable robot is part of LG's CLOi range of service robots , which we first saw at CES this year. LG also says the SuitBot will connect to these other CLOi robots to form part of a "smart working network." Think workers in SuitBots that communicate with porter robots and cleaning robots.

There's no word on price or when the SuitBot will be commercially available. It might not be the kind of thing you'll buy for Christmas, but it could be saving your back when you're working in a robot factory in the future.

LG's wearable robot will make you look like RoboCop

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